For the first time since his arrest, Jose Padilla is being allowed to talk with a lawyer, after being held without access to counsel since June 2002. The government's argument for continued detention without a lawyer was that Padilla would be convinced by an attorney not to share knowledge of future attacks with the government. The practice of holding American citizens without the Constitutional right to a lawyer was defended by John Ashcroft, saying that giving these people the trial they are Constitutionally guaranteed could 'reveal intelligence secrets, sources and methods.'
This is yet another part of our Constitution that has been ripped to shreds by the Bush administration, who puts a few government secrets over the very rights and principles on which this country was founded.
18 judges were sworn in at the International Criminal Court today. Missing from the event is any representative of the US, since Bush withdrew support for the court in 2001, claiming that it would unfairly target Americans. Bush has sought treaties with other countries so that US citizens would not face a trial at the hand of the court, which deals primarily with handling war crimes and crimes against humanity. By shunning the court, and by then signing treaties with countries to prevent the trial of US citizens, it seems Bush is nervous that someone is going to be put before the court and convicted of war crimes. It's not much of a stretch to imagine that would be Bush himself.
From the this-just-in department, the Austin American Statesman is reporting that the US & UK may push back their deadline for Saddam to disarm by a month. From the stupidest-things-ever department, 3 restaurants serving the House Of Representatives will be changing the names for French fries and French toast to 'Freedom Fries' and 'Freedom Toast' to protest the French opposition to war with Iraq. The French had no comment, except that french fries come from Belgium.
US airlines would have to cut up to 70,000 jobs and face a loss of up to $7 billion if there's a war with Iraq, they say. The airlines are seeking help from Congress in the form of tax breaks and loans, on top of the relief they're getting to try and recover from an estimated $20 billion loss since 9/11. Wonder why there's a federal budget deficit now? War and corporate welfare.